I’m currently a high school student dual enrolling at Kennesaw State University. My dream job is to become an art director, or close, as I love graphic design as well as management and directing of people, and I think it would be a great fit for me (not to mention the fairly high median salary). I was considering pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing at KSU, as it seemed to be the closest match to what I was planning to do as a career, and possibly minoring in graphic design. Then, I discovered SCAD. There are so many mixed reviews covering SCAD and its prospects, including the fact that it’s a scam, or that it is the best school I could ever choose. It has an Advertising major that focuses specifically on Art Directing, and it would be a perfect major to complete to go into my dream field. However, based on some of the things I’ve read about the school, I’m not sure if it’s worth it. I have the Zell Miller and HOPE scholarships, so money on tuition and fees are not an issue for me. Which do you think would be better, and more practical? Or should I go to another school entirely? As long as it’s in Georgia and covered by Zell Miller, I’d be interested. Thank you so much for the help!!
I used to live in Georgia and am somewhat familiar with Kennesaw but not at all familiar with SCAD. Not sure how many people on this board will be familiar with ether of these schools. Kennesaw has really developed over the years and from people I know who have kids that go/went there seem to have good things to say.
With any school you are looking at you want to make sure about accreditation. I’m assuming the reviews you are looking at are from former or current students. Is there any place you can find how employer’s view SCAD as to the quality of students they produce? Will employers hire from this school? Having the HOPE is a good thing so you are smart and thinking correctly about trying to leverage that in paying for your school.
Sorry, not very helpful but I think you are doing the right thing about doing your research on SCAD. Any chance you can find actual students who went there and talk to them about their experience not only in the education but job prospects afterwards? Good luck.
The Georgia HOPE program is geared towards public schools. If you attend a private school (our D attended Berry Colllege) the state awards only a tiny amount of scholarship. Like a couple of thousand dollars. Huge difference in costs . SCAD is a private college, so you will not get the Huge Hope Scholarship. Best to stick with KSU and focus on getting internshipd to gain practical experience in your Major. Gafutures.org is a great source of info about the GA Hope Program.
The Zell Miller will still pay tuition and fees for all of SCAD. I’ve done this research. I’m worried more about getting a job in my field than potential costs.
Please check BOTH of these links to better understand how Zell Miller Scholarship works with private colleges in Georgia. First link shows list of eligible Georgia colleges, and does include SCAD in its list of eligible colleges. But this is not the whole story, and SCAD’s name on this list does not PROVE you get free tuition from SCAD.
https://www.gafutures.org/media/187909/hope-scholarship-eligible-institutions.pdf
This second link is from the AWARDS AMOUNT section of gafutures.org . Once you click on this link, you will need to select SCAD and then click on Display award amount button:
https://apps.gsfc.org/SecureNextGen/dsp_award_amounts.cfm
Please work with your parent or guidance counselor to ask questions. Also, just call or email with SCAD and ask them directly about the Zell Miller Scholarship and how much the state will pay for you to attend there. Even if you know you are right, just humor me and make the call. This is your future, and it is worth the time and effort to confirm that what you think you know is correct. Then you can rest easy and make the decision without worrying about costs.
P.S. Hope and Zell Miller Scholarships do NOT pay for ANY dorm room or meal plan costs.
Have you asked about these two programs in the Visual Arts Forum? It is inside the College Majors Forum. Here is a link for you: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/
A couple of thoughts…
SCAD- Yeah, I agree that it borders on a scam. I’ve know 10+ people that went there, and none of them did great things after. I’d stay away unless there is something concrete that you like about the school.
KSU- It’s a great regional school. I don’t think a degree from there will kick any doors down, but it’s a solid start. Focus on internships or other ways to get on the job experience. Do they have a co op program like GT? That would be great. fwiw, one of my closest friends went to KSU, and now is doing amazing things at a very highly regarded company. So it’s definitely a solid education.
Graphic Design- Back in the dark ages (1990’s) a lot of my friends majored in graphic design at UGA, and none of them do graphic design today. I currently have a few friends who work in graphic design/advertising/marketing, and none of them have a degree in that. I think it’s networking, job experience, and what you bring every day. I’d suggest a business degree of some sort or maybe even a CS degree, and a lot of hands on (job) experience. Good Luck!
SCAD is expensive school that gives no finianical aid other the Pell Grant that max out at about $6000. They give little to no merit aid and no zell will no cover full tuition and fees for a private school. Unless your parents can afford to be full pay this school won’t work for you. Even if they can IMO it’s not worth the price. UGA or Georgia State are your best 2 instate opitons.
Zell covers 10k/year max. It will leave you 25k/year short. Not to mention little stuff like food and housing that isn’t covered.
Scad is not a scam but it is a very expensive private for profit school. They give some good scholarship money but even with a big scholarship from the school it can be still be beyond many people’s means
SCAD does border on a scam - most employers consider a for profit degree to be worthless since the “school” isnt in it to educate students but to make a profit off of them.
If you don’t have the stats for GTech, look into Georgia State and Georgia Southern. If you’re a girl, Spelman or Agnes Scott will help due to the strength of their Network. You’ll need a solid degree in Art management and a minor in graphic design (or the reverse) but plan to get involved on campus, providing graphics/visual identity/logos for clubs and on campus groups will build your resume and from there you can get an internship and from there a job.
SCAD is not a scam. It provides generous scholarships and specific job leads. It is a well respected institution in the field of arts, film and design. It’s expensive however may be worth it if you can get the job of your dreams. KSU is an alternative however lacks the presigue that SCAD has.
Surprised to read that Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) has a fulltime enrollment of over 10,300 students with an additional 1,912 part time students.
Kennesaw State University has over 24,000 fulltime students enrolled & over 8,100 part time students attending.
Both schools are in beautiful areas.
Because KSU’s in-state tuition is just $7,600 per year, it is the safer option, in my opinion. SCAD charges almost $38,000 per year for just tuition. How much of SCAD’s cost would Hope & Zell Miller cover ? SCAD is a private school while KSU is a public school.
KSU’s retention rate is 79%–which is fine. I think that it would be wise to find out SCAD’s first year student retention rate.
P.S. @OllieL : SCAD also offers an online program. You might be able to take a few online courses from SCAD while enrolled fulltime at KSU.
SCAD may not be a scam and I’m sure there are some graduates who find jobs in their field but I’ve read many concerning things about their practices. For example, see this article in the AJC.
https://www.ajc.com/news/special-reports/how-scad-sells-dream/VVfRSVilHliyrTe9LAd5hN/